PORTLAND, Maine (AP) _ There was no extortion. No lavish vacations. No gambling debts. No drug addiction. Instead, a former partner in a major Maine law firm stole more than $300,000 simply because he felt he needed greater savings, his lawyer said.

Addressing a federal judge, disgraced lawyer John Duncan said he never would have envisioned himself in trouble with the law when he graduated 30 years ago from law school.

"I have gone far astray from the ideas and ideals I had," Duncan said in his first public comments since the case shook Portland's legal community.

Judge George Singal, who sentenced Duncan to 28 months in prison for tax evasion, told Duncan he broke an important public trust when he stole $300,000 from his clients and law firm Verrill Dana.

"People wonder who they can believe in," Singal said. "That's the real damage here. People's ability to trust has been harmed across the board. It pains me that someone as well-educated as you are, an individual who the community should look up to has fallen so far."

Duncan joined Verrill Dana in 1978 after graduating from Bowdoin College and receiving a law degree from the University of Virginia.

During the years of theft and embezzlement, Duncan was earning an average of $269,000 a year and his family had assets of more than $1 million.

He clearly did not need the extra money to survive, said defense lawyer Toby Dilworth. Instead, he had a compulsion to provide his family more financial security.

"His conduct was completely irrational," Dilworth said. "He felt this desire to have more savings, just so it would be there."

Duncan, 54, of Falmouth, was permanently disbarred in July by the state Supreme Court. That was believed to be the toughest penalty ever against a Maine lawyer.

Duncan has also pleaded guilty to felony theft charges in Cumberland County Superior Court. Sentencing on those charges is set for Sept. 18.

From his savings and with help from family members, Duncan has paid back the money owed to Verrill Dana and the Internal Revenue Service.